The WingWeasleys
by The Little House Scribe
Summary: The Weasleys come to Harry's aid when he most definitely is desperately in need of a date to Bill's Wedding - despite the fact that he mightn't want their help. He's always been selfless like that. Slight AU.


It was a hot mid-summer afternoon, and seven people were sitting around a table under the shade of an oak, drinking iced pumpkin juice.

William Arthur Weasley, groom to be, surveyed the morning's handiwork as he, his brothers, sister and friend sat on their break. He cracked a smile when Fleur Delacour, his missus-to-come, strode over.

"Good afternoon, Fleur." Harry greeted, pulling an empty seat out.

"Non. I can't stay, sorry. I need to speak to Geeny."

Ginny, sitting on Harry's other side, stood up, and offering the occupants of the table a half-grin, followed Fleur away, listening to her instructions of what they needed to be practising.

Bill's grin vanished. He leaned over the table to Harry.

"Mister Potter. I'm afraid we've been remiss in our duties." He indicated his brothers and himself. "We've fed and watered you, but we haven't shown you the hospitality you deserve."

Harry frowned quizzically at them.

"What do you mean?"

Charlie sat back, smiling. "Well Harry, as Bill's best man, it's my duty to make sure the wedding goes off smoothly. And seeing as you'll be in attendance, I can foresee a situation where your… notoriety could attract some…attention."

"Oh…" Harry replied, downcast. "You don't want me to be there? We'll, that's okay, I'll…"

"What?" Fred asked. "Where'd you get that idea from? Of course we want you. It's just that we hadn't considered that you might want someone else there with you."

Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"We didn't really consider it, but you might have someone…you want us to invite."

"Umm, no need for that." Harry replied, quite honestly.

Fred and George exchanged significant looks.

"We knew you'd do this." George said. "Look, Harry, it's no bother at all. Tell us who to invite and she – or he – will receive one."

"No one. Look, I don't need you to invite anyone for…that." Harry replied, standing up. "But thanks for the offer."

Striding away, Harry left six scheming sons of Arthur Weasley behind.

"I think we all know why Harry's acting like this." Bill said, to nods from his brothers. "It's because he doesn't want to put us out. I don't know how his relationship status is – Ron?"

Ron's eyebrows lifted. "Leave me out of this."

Bill frowned at his brother. "You're not going to be Harry's wingman here? Your best friend is dateless – no matter how much he says he's okay – and you're going to let him wallow in solitude?"

"Trust me, Harry doesn't need this." Ron stood up and left.

"Well now." George said, as a Weasley Twin Idea Expression appeared on his face.

"We think" Fred echoed, an identical expression on his face.

"We've got"

A solution"

"To our problems."

Bill and Charlie looked intrigued.

Fred and George leaned back in their chairs, rocking their feet against the table.

"Harry's going to attract a lot of attention; and if I know Harry, he doesn't like that. So if we leave him to try and get his own date, he's going to get a lot of embarrassment or a lot of people hanging on to him. Therefore, we've got to set him up with someone to be with him at the reception." George stated

"Well, there are plenty of guests. Are you suggesting one of Fleur's Veela cousins?" Charlie asked.

"Nah – they're much too exotic. And we need to prepare it now. Brothers Weasley, do you not see what we see. Can you not notice how we'll kill two birds with one stone here?" Fred said

"Are you saying…?" Bill began, catching on

"Yes, we are. Now, all we've got to do is get her on it."

8*8*8*8

"Just a minute." Ginny's voice came from behind the door. A moment later, it cracked open. "Bill. What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk with you, Ginny." Bill said, striding into his sister's room. "I'm sorry to have to put this on you, but Ron's being unhelpful, so we had to turn to you."

"Fred, George, Charlie and I have the idea that Harry needs to have a date to the wedding."

"Ah, and why is that?" Ginny asked, amused.

"Well, because he's our friend. And we don't want any hassle with 'Famous Harry Potter' and we think he doesn't either."

"So why are you coming to me?"

"I'm getting to that…" Bill paused, frowning. "Do you think Ron's miffed that we're not helping him with getting a date, so that's why he's not being Harry's wingman here for us?"

"I don't think that's what's bothering him."

"Hmm." Bill frowned. "Anyway, we were wondering if you…"

"Know anybody who could go with him?" Ginny continued seamlessly. "Well, there's always Luna, they're good friends and they went to Slughorn's Christmas Party together."

"I was thinking more along the lines of…you."

"Me?" Ginny said with surprise.

"Well, you'd keep an eye on him and keep him safe from fangirls. Takes one to know one and all that." Bill teased.

"You'd better be nice to me, Bill." Ginny warned good-naturedly. "I'm going to be a bridesmaid at your wedding."

"Well, all you'd need to do is hang around with him at the reception, maybe dance a bit, you know, that sort of thing. You two are friends, so it wouldn't be strange. You are friends?" Bill asked to be sure.

"Very much so."

"Oh, good. So, that's settled."

"Not quite. There's still a matter of payment."

"Ginny…"

"Now come on Bill, you've broken this on me rather unexpectedly. I could – and I do – have plans."

"Fine, how much do you want?" Bill sighed.

"I'll do it this time, but after that I want you to leave Harry alone about this, unless he wants your help."

"That's a strangely selfless request…"

"Do you agree?" Ginny pressed.

"Yes, alright then."

"One last thing. Does Harry know about this?"

"Err… no."

"Well don't worry. I'll deal with it."

"Thanks Ginny." Bill gave his sister a hug, and jauntily left her room, glad that the pieces of the plan were falling into place.

A few days later…

"Having a good time, Harry?" Charlie called out, as Harry and Ginny danced past him.

"Having a great time!" Harry replied, before twirling away again.

Charlie grinned, and nodded to Bill, who grinned back.

"Ha! Look at them!" Fred declared, seeing a bunch of surly looking females and males of different descriptions eyeing Harry and Ginny off. "Our plan worked perfectly."

"Yup. Ginny's occupied with keeping Harry occupied, so neither one of them are being bothered by potential suitors. And they look like they're having enough fun to stay that way for a while." George observed.

Harry and Ginny's joyous expressions were not matched by Ron Weasley, who wore an unimpressed expression.

"I suppose you think that was terribly clever." Ron said, as he sidled up to his brothers.

"I must confess that is was uncommon genius." Fred proudly declared. "Look at those two!" He indicated Harry and Ginny. "They're keeping each other perfectly safe from attention, and loving every minute of it."

Ron shook his head ruefully.

George rounded on him. "Don't be like that. You're only jealous that we helped Harry and not you."

The music turned to a slow tune, and Fleur returned, taking Bill with her as the newlyweds danced away.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Hermione and I…" Ron continued quickly, as Fred and George began to open their mouths. "Are here together as friends."

"Well then, enjoy the fruits of our…" Charlie began. "What are they doing?" He asked, indicating Harry and Ginny.

"They're dancing."

"Yes, but do they have to do it so closely?"

"It's a close dance." Ron said, rolling his eyes. "You got what you wanted. What's the problem?"

"Now they're looking…ickily at each other." Charlie observed.

"Ickily?" Ron asked. George was fiddling with his ear, and Fred was scratching his head.

"There's something fishy." Charlie said, picking up a hor d'oeuvre. It was a fishy hor d'oeuvre. "And it isn't this hor d'oeuvre."

The music stopped, and Harry and Ginny strode over to the table, arm in arm.

"Aren't you overdoing this?" Charlie leaned into Ginny and whispered.

Ginny shook her finger at her brother. "I'm doing it properly. Now we're starving…"

Wise enough not to stand between a Weasley and food, Charlie stepped aside, sparing Harry an appraising look as he did so.

Ginny and Harry left soon after, still together. Ginny was doing a fantastic job – a job almost too well. And they were both enjoying it way too much.

"You know, Hermione." Fred observed, as Hermione made her way over to them. "I think there's something strange going. I know Bill asked Ginny to keep an eye on Harry so he wouldn't be bothered today, but she's really taken to the task…"

"Wait." Hermione began to laugh. "Bill asked Ginny?"

"Yeah. We – except Ron – thought it would be a good idea."

"I told them he didn't need it." Ron explained.

"And look how wrong you were. He hasn't approached anyone…" George countered.

"Because he's with Ginny…" Ron said.

"Because he's with Ginny he hasn't needed to." Fred amended.

"No, because he's with Ginny." Hermione said.

"And he's with Ginny because we got her to go with…what are they doing with their faces…" Charlie got a far-off look in his eyes.

"Looks like they're talking." Hermione deadpanned.

"So close together? I think Ginny's taking this far too seriously; we need to put a stop to this…"

"That's not talking." Fred said weakly.

"OH NO!" Charlie yelled. "MISSION COMPRIMISED! ABORT! ABORT! ABORT!"

Thanks to this outburst, he received side-long looks from the other guests.

Charlie, Fred and George galloped over to Harry and Ginny like a herd of rampaging rhinoceroses, Ron and Hermione following behind, shaking their heads all the way.

"Ginny! You're in this too deep!" Charlie told her. "It's nothing to be ashamed of; many agents also suffer emotional clouding of judgement."

"Harry, we're sorry this happened like this. We were just trying to help you, getting Ginny to stay with you so you wouldn't be bothered here." Fred apologised. "We didn't expect Ginny to…"

"You know…" George continued, unable to say it.

"I understand Fred, George." Harry replied, understandingly.

"You can let go of her hand, Harry." Charlie observed.

"Indeed I do possess the fine motor skills to perform such an action." Harry agreed. Ginny hung her head to try and hide her bubbling laughter.

Charlie looked down at their still interlocked hands and fingers, then back up at the two.

"Come on, Ginny. It's not that bad. Harry doesn't hate you…" Charlie tried to console his sister. "He understands that these things happen."

"I don't hate you Ginny." Harry confirmed, letting go of her hand at last to wrap an arm around her. "In fact, I'm rather fond of you." Harry said, conveying his mastery of understatement.

It was all too much for Ginny, who fell into Harry, half bent over, shaking with laughter.

"Enjoying yourselves?" Bill came over. Catching sight of Harry and Ginny, who were holding on to each other and barely holding onto their balance, he frowned at them.

"What's up with you two?"

"We had an accident." Harry said, eliciting fresh gales of laughter from Ginny.

Bill looked over at Charlie for exposition.

"They…erm…they…erm…they did…" Charlie tried to explain. As if in explanation, Charlie finally held his hand out to the two, who had stopped laughing and apparently forgotten the presence of everyone else because they were doing "that."

"What in the name of Merlin's Fountain of Youth!" Bill exclaimed. "For how long?"

"About 12.83 seconds now." George answered, shaking his pocket watch.

"It's got to be unhygienic." Fred added, looking on like he'd drunk curdled milk.

Mercifully for the brothers, the two saliva-sharers broke apart, looking entirely too uncaring about the delicate constitutions of their friends and brothers, whose relief was palpable.

"You were supposed to go as friends! What happened?" Bill asked Ginny.

"Well, if a demonstration is required…" Ginny began.

"No!" Bill attempted to stave it off… Then he caught on, taking in Ron and Hermione shaking their heads at him with expressions of utter disbelief. "You were already dating?"

"Well, I did say that there was nothing to worry about." Harry said. "It was nice of you to try to help though." Harry added.

"You…my sister…what the hell?" Bill said, discombobulated. "For how long!"

"A couple of months." Ginny replied. "Ah, ah, ah now." Ginny continued, seeing how Bill was eyeing Harry with an expression of glaring disbelief and annoyance. Mostly because the two had sleighted him so completely. "Remember your promise."

And grumbling about Sisters and Potters and their malevolent trickery, Bill begrudgingly slapped Harry's shoulder as if to grant approval, before hurrying off to find Fleur. Charlie went off, glancing over his shoulder as he did so, before striking up a conversation with Victor Krum.

Naturally, Fred and George followed Harry and Ginny around, swooning and sighing all the while.


End file.
